It appears that Community Policing by District Representatives is on the chopping block at APD. In an effort to put more officers on the street, several position/staffing changes are being considered. The city council for the past several years has not provided funding for the full number of positions in the APD budget request, therefore this year, APD budget considerations include cycling “inside” sworn officers through patrol duties several times per year; for now we are told detectives, with other positions to be determined. During the budget discussions last year, APD requested additional positions in order to build up the community policing program in Austin; about half of the requested number was approved. The recruiting, hiring, and training process to get new officers on the street can take 18-24 months.

The latest discussion we have heard about is converting approximately 48 sworn officer positions to civilian jobs – the District Representatives’ positions would be filled by civilians. There is talk about retaining one sworn DR in each region, but as with many of these changes, no final decisions have been made. The DRs would be transferred to patrol or other positions within the Department – we would loose the most important and knowledgeable individuals who provide specialized services to our neighborhoods and our schools, who are liaisons to our communities, and serve our residents with the level of response which requires a sworn peace officer. Even if some of the duties can be handled by civilians, the sworn officers are our connection we need in difficult situations.

The City Council hired Matrix Consulting Group to conduct a Community Policing Study to determine what APD’s community policing plan will be and what measures are required to implement a comprehensive, effective program to serve the people of Austin. The study includes input from law enforcement personnel, elected officials, and community members. Please take the survey to give your thoughts and opinions – it’s on the APD website: www.austintexas.gov/department/police. Deadline is May 9 - it is possible that the deadline could be extended, but go ahead and do it now. The survey results will be produced in early June.

In addition, City Council members are having town hall meetings in their districts to gather feedback. D1, D4, and D6 have already had their meetings. D2 is on May 10, D5 is on May 11, D7 is on May 21. CM Gallo and Troxclaire indicate they will not be having a meeting; you can check with your CM if a meeting for your district is not shown here. Participate if you can.

If you believe that keeping the sworn officers as District Representatives that we now have is vital to our city, contact the Mayor, City Manager, all of the City Council Members, and APD. If you believe that public safety in Austin is important enough to be staffed at the needed levels, do the same. Tell them how DRs are important to your neighborhood and what the effect will be if these officers are taken away. Yes, patrol officers are absolutely needed, but taking our DRs cannot be the only option.

The schedule for upcoming Council budget action is: projected budget provided to the Council on July 27. The new fiscal year begins October 1, so the vote will be taken prior to that date. City Council meeting dates and agendas are on the city’s website.

Our efforts: in late March, representatives of CLASP met with Chief Art Acevedo to talk about neighborhood and public safety matters, express our concerns about the DR changes, and to make recommendations we feel would be helpful as Austin increases its Community Policing Program. Our discussions included APD’s efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the face of budget issues and population growth, our belief that the education and direct services provided and the good will generated by District Reps is as valuable and important as what patrol and other units provide, the benefits of improving and expanding Neighborhood Watch training, coordinating the DRs and community engagement, and establishing an Advisory Board on Community Policing composed of experienced community members, APD staff, and other stakeholders. We look forward to a continuing dialogue as the process continues.